Georgetown University Campus Ministry dedicated services throughout the week of Jan. 15 to those affected by the wildfires in Los Angeles, Calif., urging students to support one another.
Multiple wildfires ignited in Los Angeles on Jan. 7, resulting in the evacuation of approximately 200,000 people, the death of 27 people and the destruction of more than 10,400 structures, leading religious leaders nationwide to center services around those affected by the disaster. The cost of the damage is estimated to be between $135 billion and $150 billion, making the fires one of the costliest disasters in U.S. history.
Rabbi Ilana Zietman, the director for Jewish Life at Georgetown, said the decision to honor those impacted by the L.A. fires at campus services stemmed from the student impact of the ongoing disaster.
“The fires have impacted so many students across our different ministries,” Zietman told The Hoya. “We all have students from Los Angeles, family there, friends, things like that, so it was just something that we knew we all had students to serve and to be able to offer something in this moment.”
In addition to the prayers, the different religious leaders reached out to students in their chaplaincies, offering different resources and emotional support.
CC Mesa (SFS ’26), a student from L.A. and the student coordinator for the Catholic retreats team, said the prayers for her home were especially comforting.
“Oftentimes at the weekday masses, there’s opportunity for people to offer up prayers for their own intentions, and there’s always someone there who is offering up a prayer for Los Angeles or for specific people, which makes me feel very safe,” Mesa told The Hoya.
Zietman said the decision to dedicate services was an effort to remind the community of the impact of the fires while also allowing those impacted to feel acknowledged.
“We all saw this as an opportunity to offer prayers to people who personally needed it,” Zietman said. “But also to remind the folks in the room who might not be thinking about it, it also helps the students personally impacted to feel seen by others.”
Georgetown’s Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching & Service encouraged members of the Georgetown community to financially donate to relief efforts in partnership with Loyola Marymount University in L.A., a Jesuit university affected by the fires.
Zoe Kramar (SFS ’28), a student from L.A. who is active in Jewish Life, said attending Shabbat services has been reassuring during the crisis.
“I have found that coming to Shabbat and being surrounded by my Jewish friends and my Jewish community has been very supportive in this uncertain time,” Kramer told The Hoya.
Mesa said the dedication of services was surprising, as people who came from different parts of the world were also praying for L.A.
“It took me by surprise because I just wasn’t expecting it,” Mesa said. “I think with everything going on in the world, you often diminish your own problems or problems in our general vicinity and then when other people are so distraught by them you’re like, ‘Oh, wait, I guess this is actually a big deal.’”
Mesa said she felt touched by the outpouring of support she experienced from both the Catholic community and others across campus.
“I’ve just had a lot of people in general that I work with or that just know me from Catholic Life reach out, which has been really awesome,” Mesa said. “I’ve also found that my friends who are involved in other ministries have been more likely to reach out.”
Zietman said students across the different ministries may find it comforting to speak to religious figures amid tragedy, whether that be receiving a prayer from them or advice.
“I think being trusted people that students can come to process something difficult, to get advice on how to handle something difficult, if they even just want a prayer, feels comforting,” Zietman said.
